A New Rose
by Skye Coulson
Summary: AoS/X-Men crossover. Skye & Coulson share a moment at the cabin before Skye is forced to go on the run. While running from the REAL S.H.I.E.L.D.", she runs into Logan who takes her to Xavier School to help her learn to control her powers. While there, Skye learns that she's pregnant. What does this mean for Coulsye? And, what will it mean for S.H.I.E.L.D.?
1. Your Lips Taste Like Sangria

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing.

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Blake Shelton "Sangria"

* * *

Your Lips Taste Like Sangria

* * *

_We're buzzin' like that no vacancy sign out front | Your skin is begging to be kissed by a little more than the sun | You take my hand in yours, you lean in | And, your lips taste like sangria | Your lips taste like sangria_

* * *

Watching Coulson take the groceries from the paper sacks on the counter, Skye couldn't quite shake the feeling of abandonment. She thought Phil Coulson would be the one person in her _life _who would never turn his back on her. "Fury's not the kind of guy to have a cabin to 'relax' … What is this place?"She asked, only half-sarcastically. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she remembered Andrew calling it 'deflecting'. Maybe she _was _guilty of that. But, right now, it seemed a hell of a lot better than facing the reality of the situation.

"It's a safe-house." Coulson replied, forcing his tone to remain casual and light, as he continued unloading the supplies he'd brought for her. Most of it was quick meals she could put together for herself until May dropped in on her in a few days. But, he wanted to make sure he left her with at least one good meal before he had to get back to the Playground. Part of him felt guilty for abandoning her when he'd always sworn he never would. He hoped this 'goodbye dinner' would assuage some of that guilt. "For people with powers. Rogers even spent a few weeks here after he defrosted."

"Okay, but, who's it supposed to keep safe?" Skye asked, finally turning to face Coulson as she summoned the nerve to confront the situation. "The people with powers or everyone else?"

"Both." Phil reluctantly conceded. Sighing, lightly, he added, remorsefully "Skye, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to pull you from active duty." Phil hated this assignment more and more with every moment that passed.

"I get it – I do." "I just – I didn't think you'd lock me up like a werewolf during a full moon." She confessed.

"You're not alone, here." Phil argued, weakly. The truth was, he could understand her feelings of abandonment as isolation.

"Feels pretty isolated to me." Skye shot back.

"There's a direct video feed linked to the base and May will keep dropping by every couple of days." The director insisted.

"What am I supposed to do?" Skye questioned. Phil saw the lost look in her eyes and ached for causing it. "Go fishing?!"

"Well, if you do go outside, be careful." Phil warned, still trying to maintain a light and casual tone. "There's a laser fence around the perimeter." Even though it was meant as a light-hearted warning, Phil suddenly heard it the way he knew Skye had to have heard it and instantly wished he'd never said it. Reaching out to her, almost desperately, Phil lightly gripped her biceps as he tried to drive his point home. "Look … This is a safe place. You can relax here. You can use this time to get a handle on your abilities."

"Yeah." Skye scoffed, willing the tears she felt burning her eyes not to fall. "'Cause that's worked **great **so far."

"Well, maybe, it time we give you a hand with that." Phil replied, cryptically, as he released his grip on Skye's arms before moving to retrieve the small black case Simmons had given him back at the base. "Simmons has been working around the clock on these. She assures me they'll cut your recovery time in _half_."

Curious, Skye watched as Coulson opened the case to reveal a pair of gloves. "How do they work?" She asked as she held one of the gloves in her hand.

"The internal wiring emirs an electrical pulse which will inhibit your powers." Coulson explained, watching Skye's reaction.

"So, these take my powers away." Skye reasoned, hopefully.

"More like decreases their magnitude to keep you from hurting yourself." Coulson interjected, hoping Skye wouldn't get her hopes up, just yet. "Like I said, we want you to heal."

"Seems like a no-brainer." Skye replied, examining the glove in her hand.

"It's … a personal call." Coulson replied.

"What do you mean?" Skye questioned, directing her attention to Coulson. "Are there side effects?"

"A few … Simmons can go over them with you, later." Coulson replied, hoping not to worry the young hacker.

"Are these gloves really my best option?" Skye questioned.

"I can't answer that for you, Skye." Phil replied, regretfully.

"**_Stop_**!" Skye replied, fed up with the clinical, generic answers. "Stop being this S.H.I.E.L.D. Guy for _one second_! Okay?! Please!" She was pleading with him to just be 'Phil' instead of 'Director Coulson'. "We've been through way too much, together! I just need you to be my friend, right now." She added, pausing for a moment before continuing. "What would you do if you were me?" She added, her voice notably calmer as she got straight to the point.

For a moment, Coulson just stared into the eyes of the unwitting owner of his heart, desperate for the answers that could somehow make this all okay for her. "I don't know." He finally conceded, quietly. "These are uncharted waters. But, if anyone can find a way through them, it's you." Phil replied, forgoing all the generic platitudes Skye was growing so clearly frustrated with and just speaking from the heart.

"Because I'm the red corvette." Skye breathed, staring straight into the eyes of the man she'd secretly grown to love.

"Because you're one of the few people I _know _I can trust." Phil breathed, sheer honesty audible in his voice. After a moment of tension, Phil decided they'd both had enough drama for one day. "But, for now …" He added, his tone audibly more light-hearted. "Why do you relax while I fix us something to eat?"

* * *

As Phil set a plate with spaghetti and his own homemade marinara sauce, Skye watched as he placed a wine glass filled with what looked like a deep red wine garnished with an orange slice. "Wow. Wine with dinner?" She quipped. "What, is this my 'last supper'?" She asked, realizing that she was only half-joking.

"Not wine." Phil corrected, warmly. "Sangria." He added, setting down his own plate and drink as he joined Skye at the table.

"Mmm." Skye hummed, thoughtfully, sipping on her cocktail. "This is good. What's in it?" She asked, curiously, setting the glass down on the table.

"It's my own recipe." Phil smiled, proudly, at the compliment. "It's just Butterfly Kiss Red Empress, a little Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, lemon juice, orange juice, and simple syrup all shaken together –"

"Not stirred?" Skye replied, playfully, finally beginning to relax now that Coulson was just being 'Phil' and not 'Director Coulson'.

"No." Phil replied, with a bemused grin. "Now … as I was saying … You shake those ingredients together and pour them into a wine glass and garnish them with a couple orange slices and grated nutmeg.

"Well, it's delicious." Skye replied, smiling her first genuine smile sine they'd arrived at the cabin. Watching her finally start to relax and even smile at him, eased Phil's mind, ever so slightly. Taking a bite of her spaghetti, Skye felt her eyes close in ecstasy as she savored the delicious flavor of homemade marinara sauce. "Mmmmm … Oh my _God_, DC!" She moaned,as she swallowed her food before speaking, again. "This marinara sauce is **_sooooo _**good! You _have _to give me the recipe."

"Now, _that _is classified." Phil replied, smirking cheekily at the sight of Skye's quirked eyebrow. "It's a family secret." He elaborated, warmly. "My grandmother taught me when I was young."

"Well, in that case, you'll have to swing by and cook for me, more often." Skye smiled, as she continued eating her dinner. Phil had to admit, he liked the thought of that. The whole scene – the two of them at the dinner table, together … him cooking for her – it was all so beautifully domestic that Phil wished it could be that way, _every_ day. Only then, did reality sink in and remind him that neither of their lives would ever be normal. And, even if they were, Skye was a charming, attractive, young woman. She could have any man she wanted. He'd never stand a chance with a woman like her, anyway, and he was foolish for even wishing it.

* * *

Phil and Skye had finished the rest of their dinner in a comfortable conversation. Skye had opened up to Phil about things she never shared with anyone else – personal things – and, he felt honored that she trusted him the way he trusted in her. In turn, he shared more stories of his childhood with her – amusing her with his fascination with Captain America. She'd even comforted him when he spoke of New York and his own murder. He'd never felt closer to anyone than he felt to Skye. And, he hated the thought of leaving her behind – alone and confused – without telling her how he felt didn't sit right with him – it didn't sit right at all. Deep down, he knew he had to do something about it.

They were sitting in the living room – sipping on more of Phil's homemade sangria – when Phil finally decided to just go for broke. "Skye, there's something I need to discuss with you." He spoke.

Skye noticed the strange look on Phil's face – recognizing it as a nervous expression. This realization immediately put her on edge – Phil Coulson was _rarely _nervous. "Okay …" She began, setting her drink down on the end table next to her, before finally turning to face Phil – giving him her full attention. "You have my attention, DC … What's going on?"

"There's … something I've been needing to tell you for quite some time, now …" Phil began, not really sure how to phrase what he wanted to say. "And, the idea of leaving you here, alone, without saying it … Well, it just doesn't seem right, to me." With a steadying breath, he decided to go for broke. _It's now or never, Phil … _He told himself. "Skye … I'm in love with you."

Skye couldn't believe what she was hearing. _He didn't just say what I _think _he just said … Did he?! _She thought to herself as feverishly attempted to process what she was hearing. _DC's in love with me?! _Seeing the rejection storming over Phil's face and Skye knew she had to act fast. Acting on pure instinct, Skye reached out and placed a hand on either side of Phil's face as she pulled him in.

As Skye's lips collided with his, Phil felt his eyes slide closed while his hands snaked around her waist – holding her flush against him. She tasted like the sangria they'd both been drinking as her tongue glided past his lips into his mouth. In the moment, Phil's mind shut down, as he simply savored the taste that was purely Skye. However, the moment was far too short for Phil's liking as Skye pulled away to look directly into his eyes. "I love you, too, DC." She breathed with a warm smile spreading across her face.

Phil couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You do?" He questioned, dumbly.

"Mhmm." Skye hummed, reaching for Phil's hands as she took them in hers. "Why don't …" She began, rising from her seat on the love-seat as she pulled Phil up with her, guiding him toward the bedroom. " … I show you just how much?"

* * *

Phil Coulson couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind couldn't even _begin _to process what was happening. In the end, he decided to just go with it. For once, in his life, Phil Coulson was just going with the flow and not over-analyzing everything.

Phil and Skye lay next to one another on the bed, Skye's head on his shoulder with her arm draped lazily over his waist with his arms wrapped around her shoulders, lazily drawing random shapes on her bare back. Skye laid there, silently listening to the steady, rhythmic lullaby of Phil's heart beating in his chest. The sound soothed her. Finally … For the first time since she came out of the temple … the thousand bees in her body were silenced as she finally felt truly at peace.

Unfortunately, reality was a bitch as the perfect moment was shattered by the shrill shriek of Phil's phone ringing. Sighing heavily, Skye reluctantly pulled herself off of Phil's chest as he reached for the phone. "Coulson." He greeted, curtly.

Skye wasn't an idiot. She knew why the phone had rung, and silently extracted herself from the covers as she began searching for her clothes strewn across the floor while Coulson focused on whatever emergency the team was calling him about. She didn't even care what it was about, knowing that she likely wouldn't be included in the conversation, anyway.

"Thanks for the update, Mack." Coulson stated, finally, hanging up the phone.

"Is everything okay?" Skye questioned, as she felt two familiar, strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. She hated how the genuine concern bled through her voice as she paused, having pulled her jeans up, though, she was still shirtless clad in just a black, lacy bra.

"I'm afraid I have to get back." Phil replied, reluctantly pulling away from Skye as he began redressing himself.

"I get it." Skye sighed. "Didn't really expect you to stay and cuddle." She shrugged, lightly.

"This is temporary, Skye." Phil replied, desperately. He hated leaving her, this way. He felt like he was treating her like a common hooker. If things hadn't been so desperate at the base, he would have found a way to stay with her. "I'll be back in a couple days. If you need _anything_-"

"I'll let you know." Skye replied, bracing herself for the sight of Phil walking out the door.

Phil couldn't stand it, anymore. Stepping forward, Phil pulled Skye into his arms, holding her close. "We'll figure this out." Pulling back, Phil stared straight into her eyes as he added "I promise."

Skye hated knowing how much Phil truly meant those words. As much as she wanted to be mad at him – hate him for abandoning her, especially after all that had just happened between them – she knew she could never be mad. She knew how bad things had to have been for Phil to be going back. The two of them shared a silent look before Phil wrenched himself away before he let his emotions get the best of him and make him stay.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**I hope y'all like this! I know it's a little rushed, but, hang in there with me. I promise, it'll get better! I got a lotta fun in store for this story!

~Skye Coulson


	2. Dead Man Called Out For His Love to Flee

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing!

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst/Drama

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Jennifer Lawrence "The Hanging Tree"

* * *

A Dead Man Called Out For His Love To Flee

* * *

_Are you, are you | Coming to the tree | They strung up a man they say who murdered three | Strange things did happen here | No stranger it would be | If we met at midnight in the hanging tree_

_Are you, are you | Coming to the tree | Where a dead man called out | For his love to flee | Strange things did happen here | No stranger would it be | If we met at midnight in the hanging tree_

_Are you, are you | Coming to the tree | Where I told you to run | So, we'd both be free | Strange things did happen here | No stranger it would be | If we met at midnight in the hanging tree_

* * *

Standing at the sink, Skye marveled at the spiral her powers created in the stream coming from the faucet. After rinsing the black residue off her hands and arms, she was startled out of her reverie when the shrill shriek of her cellphone pierced through the silence. Tapping the screen, she placed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She greeted, quizzically, after no name appeared on the caller ID.

"Skye-" The voice on the other end of the line began, urgently, before Skye cut her off.

"May! What's happening? I couldn't connect to you guys." The hacktivist interjected.

"You need to get out of there!" May replied, urgently, disregarding Skye's interjection. "Now!"

"What?! Why?! What are you talking about?!" Skye asked, immediately on alert.

"There's a panel on the southwest corner of the compound." May replied, curtly. "It'll let you take down the laser grid fence!"

"May!" Skye injected, desperate for answers. "_Stop_!"

"You can do this, Skye!" May reassured her asset, urgently – in a hushed tone – knowing that she wouldn't have much time before the 'real' S.H.I.E.L.D. agents caught up to her. "I believe in you!" She added. "But, you need to _run_! Now! They're coming for you!"

"Who?! Who's coming – who-" Skye began, desperately, before every light in the cabin went dark. "May?!" Skye tried. "May?!" She added, panicking slightly when she realized the line had gone dead.

Knowing something had to be seriously wrong at the base for May to be ordering her to run, Skye hurriedly gathered her laptop before rushing out the door. Stepping outside of the cabin's front door, she looked to the skies where she saw the quinjets closing in – their search lights illuminating the woods around her. "Oh my God …" She muttered, taking off at a dead run.

* * *

"DO NOT APPROACH THE TARGET ALONE!" The team assembled by the real S.H.I.E.L.D. all listened as their orders were shouted at them over the roar of the quinjet's engine. "YOU SEE HER, YOU SEND UP A FLARE!"

"Remember!" Bobbi Morse declared, once the quinjet's engine died down. "Skye's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent like one of us! I.C.E.R.s _only_!" She warned. Deep down, she knew Skye would never intentionally hurt any of them. However, she remained unaware of the main guard behind her cocking a regular pistol by his side as the rest of the team filed out of the jet.

* * *

Firing her I.C.E.R. at Robert Gonzalez – taking out her target – Melinda May flicked open a knife as she approached Phil, preparing to release the zip tie binding his hands together. Catching another guard approaching her from the side, the pilot fired off another shot to her right as she returned to the task at hand.

"That's a _really _nice entrance." Phil Coulson greeted, clearly impressed with May's entrance to rescue him, as she cut the tie around his wrists.

"This should get you by for a few days." May replied, shoving a silver briefcase into the director's hands.

"What are you talkin' about?" Coulson questioned, unsure of where the pilot was going with this.

"You have to _go_! Now!" May insisted, opening up a hidden door Phil had never known about in his own office wall and unceremoniously shoving Phil into the hidden elevator.

"Fitzsimmons?!" Coulson questioned, briefly.

"I'll take care of them!" May assured him, quickly. "Without you, there is no S.H.I.E.L.D.!" She insisted, pushing Phil back into the elevator. "They know about Skye, Phil!" That sentence stopped Phil cold. He knew what danger she would be in. And, he knew he had to do something. "Find her!" Melinda May insisted, hitting the button, sending Phil speeding downward. Closing off the hidden entrance behind her, May turned to brace herself for the team preparing to infiltrate the office.

* * *

Racing through the woods, Skye finally managed to locate the panel May had told her about. Just as she approached the panel, she caught the pistol appearing over her left shoulder. Struggling with the guard behind her, Skye managed to push his arm back so that the pistol fired straight upward and away from her.

Hearing the shot ringing through the air, Bobbi and the main guard with her both spun around – chasing after the shot. "ALL AGENTS! CONVERGE ON THAT SOUND!" The guard shouted out to all the agents around them.

After disarming the guard and taking his weapon, Skye turned when she saw Bobbi and the main guard approaching. Before she could react, she startled back to reality when Bobbi looked over to the guard – stunned when she saw the pistol in his hand.

"No!" Bobbi shouted, desperate to stop the guard's attempt to shoot Skye. As she watched her orders go unheeded, she turned – panicked – toward Skye as the guard began to squeeze the trigger. "SKYE!" She screamed, desperately.

Before she even registered what was happening, Skye had dropped the other guard's gun and raised her hands, defensively, as her powers took over. Without even comprehending what was happening, an invisible barrier deflected the bullet – shattering a nearby tree in the process – sending Bobbi and the guard flying back several feet.

Surveying the scene around her, Skye couldn't even begin to process what had just happened, as she watched several other trees around them shatter in the aftermath. She may not have known what was happening. But, one thing was for sure. She had to get out of there. Taking advantage of the peace – with no one coming after her – she turned and deactivated the laser grid fence and took off into the night.

* * *

Phil eventually found himself sitting at a cheap, Hawaiian-themed bar on a beach, when the bartender set a tropical drink down in front of him. "That's a lot of umbrellas for one drink." Phil observed, dumbly. He couldn't even think knowing that Skye was out there – God knows where – and probably terrified. All he could think about was how much she needed him, right now, and he wasn't there for her.

"Lemme guess …" The bartender replied, removing one of the umbrellas from Phil's drink. "She got the house." He quipped, dryly.

Phil didn't even bother to respond as the bartender walked away. Soon after, he heard a familiar sigh as the A.W.O.L. Lance Hunter sat down next to him at the bar. "I'll take whatever he's having." Hunter stated, gesturing toward Phil's drink. "Sorry I'm late." He quipped, turning his attention toward Coulson. "An evacuation pod will wash up when and where it wants to." He reasoned, casually, before returning his focus to the bartender. "Maybe a couple of those little umbrellas, if you have them." He quipped, turning back to Coulson. "So … How've you been?" He asked, casually, picking a few of the peanuts from the bowl on the bar and eating them. "Anything new?"

"Same old, same old." Phil replied, his dry, dead, voice haunting even the rough and tumble Lance Hunter. "So, ya finished your vacation?" He asked, numbly, knowing he'd never find Skye, alone.

"Absolutely." Hunter nodded, staring straight ahead. He may not have known exactly what was going on. But, he knew he'd never heard or seen Coulson so desperate before. He had to help the man out. "Ya know, I never did understand the appeal of cruise ships." He quipped, hoping to lessen the tension somewhat. "Oh, I almost forgot …" He began, searching the bar for something to write with. Finally locating a pen and a napkin, he quickly penned his signature.

_L Hunter_

"What's that?" Phil questioned, curiously, as Hunter passed the napkin over to him.

"You offered me a permanent position." Hunter reasoned, simply. "Consider _that _…" He trailed off, tapping the napkin, with his fingertip. " … my contract." Watching as Coulson gave him a simple, silent, nod, he popped a few more peanuts in his mouth before speaking again. "So … What's the plan, boss?"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**I apologize for the short chapter. I considered adding more to it, but, this just felt a natural stopping place. That, plus it's getting late and my back is killing me. So, I'm gonna turn in. I hope y'all like this new chapter and will continue to read future chapters!

~Skye Coulson


	3. Don't Let Me Get Me

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing.

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Nickelback "When We Stand Together"  
Linkin Park "Somewhere I Belong"

* * *

Don't Let Me Get Me

* * *

_One more depending on a prayer | And, we all look away | People pretending everywhere | It's just another day | There's bullets flying through the air | And, they still carry on | We watch it happen over there | And, then, just turn it off  
We must stand together | (Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) | There's no getting even | (Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) | Hand in hand forever | (Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) | That's when we all win | (Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) | That's, that's, that's when we all win | That's, that's, that's when we all win_

* * *

"Logan!" Professor Charles Xavier greeted his colleague and trusted friend, brightly. "Just the man I wanted to see." He added, entering his friend's quarters.

"Professor." Logan greeted, as the professor's hovering wheelchair came to a stop in front of him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have a job for you-" The professor began, warmly, before Logan cut him off, abruptly.

"Of course you do." Logan drawled, with a sense of dread, wondering how hazardous this 'job' would be.

"Don't fret, Logan." Charles replied, lightly. "This one is simple." Logan remained silent as he awaited his orders. "I've just returned from Cerebro where I saw something quite remarkable." Charles added, awestruck by what he'd just seen.

"What'd ya see?" Logan wondered, gruffly.

"I've found a young woman who desperately needs our help." Charles replied, Logan sensing the urgency in his friend's voice. "She's just discovered her powers – powers that are quite strong and terrifying to her." He explained. "She's also in danger, Logan."

"Danger?" Logan repeated, interest suddenly peaked. "What kinda danger?"

"There are people hunting her and I cannot decipher their intentions for her." Charles replied. "She's running, Logan. She's terrified not only of herself but of the intentions of those hunting her."

"You want me to find her." Logan surmised, sensing where this conversation was going.

"And, bring her back here." Charles added. "I'd like to try to help her the best we can." He added, thoughtfully. "Her powers could be quite beautiful if she could learn to control them rather than letting _them _control _her_."

* * *

_I wanna heal I wanna feel what I thought was never real | I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long | (Erase all the pain 'till it's gone) | I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real | I wanna find something I've wanted all along | Somewhere I belong_

* * *

Skye had been on the run for so long, she'd forgotten how long she'd been traveling or even how far she'd gone and had even lost track of where she was. That is, until she came along a large, rectangle-shaped stone sign engraved with _Welcome to Boulder City Home of the Historic Hoover Dam_. _Well, at least now I know what _city _I'm in. _She thought to herself, sarcastically. She, then, turned her attention to the cars passing by her on the highway to her left. _Huh. Guess I'm in Nevada _she added, noting that the majority of the tags on the cars were Nevada state tags. She was soon snapped out of her reverie when she felt herself collide with a surprisingly firm chest. "Oh! Sorry!" She spoke first, apologetically. "Sorry, that was my fault. I really need to pay attention to where I'm going."

"No need to apologize." The gruff voice directed Skye's attention upward to look the man before her in the face. The man's wavy chocolate brown hair curled up on either side – reminding Skye somewhat of horns. The matching brown eyes were intense without being threatening. And, his sculpted muscles were clad in a brown leather jacket but still peeked out through the plain white muscle tee underneath. Despite his intense appearance, Skye didn't feel threatened. But, that's not to say that she wasn't on edge. When on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D., she couldn't be too careful. "You just made my job a whole lot easier." He added. Even though his voice was light and casual, Skye still didn't fully trust him.

"Oh, yeah?" Skye challenged, surprising herself with how effectively she masked her trepidation in her voice. "And, just what job might that be?" She added, suddenly wishing she'd brought a pistol or an I.C.E.R. or – hell, any weapon, for that matter – with her.

"To find you." The stranger before her replied. However, before he could say another word, Skye moved to bolt around him. Reaching out, the stranger swiftly wrapped both of his arms around Skye – halting her in place – despite her kicking and fighting against him. "Sh-shh. Take it easy." The stranger whispered, gently, in her ear. "Take it easy, I ain't gonna hurt ya."

"Oh yeah?!" Skye grunted, breathless from struggling to break free from the stranger's grasp. "And, why should I believe that?"

"Because the man that sent me to find you ordered me to keep you safe." The stranger replied, gently. "And, because I'm a lot like you."

"Somehow, I _seriously_ doubt that!" Skye hissed, still struggling against his strong grip.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." The stranger added, moving them to hide behind a large boulder.

"After the things I've seen … Not a lot surprises me anymore." Skye grunted, exhausting herself from her strenuous escape attempts. "But, go ahead … Amuse me." She challenged.

"Well, now, see … To do that, I gotta let ya go." The stranger informed her, snidely. "And, if you wanna see it, ya gotta stay put."

"Fine." Skye relented, knowing full-well that she was too tired to try to escape, anyway.

"At's the spirit." The stranger chided her as he finally released his grip on her.

"Well?!" Skye replied, raising her arms to show that she was still there. "I'm still here!" She added, impatiently. "Show me what ya got!"

"All right …" The stranger replied, stepping back and away from Skye. The young hacktivist eyed him, carefully, as he lowered his hands – clenched into fists – down to his sides, with the palms facing toward her. The next thing she knew, long metal claws extended out of his fists from between his knuckles.

"Shit …" Skye breathed, quietly. _That looks like it's gotta hurt. _"Well, I gotta say … You, sir, have done the impossible." She added, snidely. "You've impressed me. And, that is not easily done, Mr …" She trailed off, realizing that the stranger with the claws before her had never given her his name.

"Just call me 'Logan'." The stranger replied, gently. "And, you must be Skye." He concluded.

"How do you know my name?" Skye questioned, carefully, back on edge.

"Because a dear friend of mine – who has powers just like us – and his powers helped him find you." Logan replied, trying to explain the situation to the best of his abilities. "He was able to see you in his mind and he was able to see your powers. He was able to see what you can do."

"So, then, you know how dangerous it is for you to be anywhere _near _me." Skye argued, her desperation and her self-deprecation evident in her voice. "I destroy everything around me."

"That's only because you haven't learned how to control your abilities-" Logan began, only to be cut off by Skye.

"I _tried _to control it!" Skye interjected, clearly frustrated. "And, it _hurt me_! I have hairline fractures all up and down the lengths of my _arms_ from trying to control my powers!"

"It's not gonna happen overnight, Skye." Logan argued, trying to reassure the desperate young woman before him. "But, my friends and I – we can help you! We can protect you and help you learn to control your powers rather than your powers controlling _you_!"

"You sound pretty confident about that …" Skye replied, surprising herself with the knowledge that she was actually considering taking Logan up on his offer to help her.

"It's true, Skye." Logan replied, seeing that he was getting through to her. "But, you have to trust us." He added, hoping that he could gain her trust. "I need you to trust me enough to come back with me. If you come with me, I promise you … We will do whatever it takes to keep you safe and help you control your abilities." He offered. "You'd be amazed at what you're actually capable of, Skye … Your powers don't have to be terrifying. But, you've never had anyone guide you – teach you about your powers and who you were always meant to be. Once you've had that … Your powers could be beautiful, Skye." He added, surprising Skye with how sure he sounded of himself and what he was telling her.

The young woman before him remained silent as she appeared to be taking in everything he was saying. If she were to be completely honest with herself, Skye desperately _hoped _everything Logan was telling her was true. And, she _had _seen a small glimmer of the beauty in her powers with the water faucet back at the cabin. _Maybe there could be hope for me, after all._ Skye thought to herself as she finally made up her mind. "Okay." She spoke simply but surely.

"'Okay'?" Logan repeated, curiously.

"Okay." Skye affirmed, smiling shyly. "I trust you. Show me that my trust isn't misplaced." She added, warmly. "Show me how beautiful my powers can be."

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**I've decided to keep my chapters fairly short since I know that – for me – shorter chapters are easier to read as it's easier for me to read shorter chapters without getting distracted. So, I hope you'll all enjoy this story as I continue on with this project. Also, don't worry. I haven't forgotten about my other stories. I do still plan on continuing those stories, as well. But, right now, I just have too much inspiration for this story to be able to focus on any others. But, please bear with me … I will continue the others once inspiration strikes for them.

~Skye Coulson


	4. She Thinks His Name Was Phil

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing!

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Boys Like Girls - "The First One"  
Linkin Park - "Castle of Glass"  
Reba McEntire - "She Thinks His Name Was John"

* * *

She Thinks His Name Was John

* * *

_Even though you're gone and far away | I feel you all around | I think about it every single day | Somehow you got away_

_I can't sleep, it's hard to breathe | And, I still feel you next to me | Now I can see_

_The first one is the worst one | When it comes to a broken heart | Your first love | Yeah, you're so young | And, you feel like a falling star | There's a fire in the city | That's burning out tonight | And you're alive | But, you're barely breathing | The first one is the worst one | When it comes, when it come to a broken heart_

* * *

_Phil and Skye lay next to one another on the bed, Skye's head on his shoulder with her arm draped lazily over his waist with his arms wrapped around her shoulders, lazily drawing random shapes on her bare back. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Phil had finally found a sense of peace. But, just when he thought nothing could shatter the paradise they'd found with one another, Skye had suddenly vanished from his side and Phil had suddenly found himself in his office watching agents from the 'real' S.H.I.E.L.D. storming his base and capturing his remaining operatives – _Phil sat bolt-upright in his bed, slowly catching his breath as his mind registered that was – in fact – still in the same cheap motel he and Hunter had checked into, the night before.

"What's going on, mate?" Lance Hunter wondered, groggily, upon being awoken by the sudden rustling of the sheets on the other bed in the room. Reaching over to turn on the lamp, resting atop the nightstand between the two beds, he took in the image of Coulson catching his breath in a cold sweat and surmised that his partner had just woken up from a nightmare.

"It's nothing." Coulson reassured his partner. "Just stress." He finished. It was the truth. He had been stressing out, in increasing amounts, the longer he continued searching for Skye. It had been four weeks since Phil had taken off to search for her and he still hadn't come any closer to finding her than he had been on day one.

"Look, mate, I know you're worried about Skye – so am I –" Hunter replied. Even in his short stay with S.H.I.E.L.D., he could see that Coulson and Skye had always been rather close. And, he could see why. She was a good agent and bright, strong, individual. She was easily drawn to. However, before he could finish the thought, the director cut him off.

"It's more than that …" Coulson sighed, flopping back down onto his pillow. He hated feeling this lost and helpless. All he wanted was to find Skye and know that she was safe. Until then, he'd never be able to fully rest.

"Well …" Hunter sighed, propping himself up onto his elbow. "How about … you enlighten me?" He suggested. He knew, full-well, that neither of them was getting sleep any time soon. So, he might as well get the full story of his partner's obsession with the young hacker. And, perhaps settle a bet he'd made with the rest of the team while he was at it.

Phil stared at the ceiling, pondering Hunter's suggestion. _Might as well … _He thought, to himself, silently. After all … He had already promised himself he'd go public with his relationship with Skye once she was back with them, safe and sound. Sighing, he rolled over, propping himself up on his elbow – mirroring Hunter's position – as he faced his partner. "I love her." He began, simply. Unsure of where to begin, he figured he'd drop the bomb right up front and get it over-with. However, Hunter cut him off before he could elaborate, further.

"Yeah, we all do." Hunter interjected, simply, bating Coulson for more information. "Dysfunctional though it may be, we were a family unit … Some of us … more than others …" He trailed off, recalling Mac and his own ex-wife's betrayals.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that …" Coulson replied, knowingly. "But, that's not quite what I'm talking about …" Drawing a deep breath, Phil decided to rip off the band-aid. "I'm … _in love _with her." He finally confessed.

"Well, it's about time." Hunter replied, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Really?" Coulson questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Absolutely." Hunter replied. "The whole team's known about your feelings for each other. Hell, there was even a bloody pool among the team as to how and when you'd get together!"

"You're serious?!" Coulson questioned, somewhat incredulously. He couldn't believe his own operatives were betting on his love-life.

"Oh, definitely!" Hunter replied. "Speaking of which … Who made the first move? I'm already in the lead on the 'when' …"

"Oh, for the love of God …" Coulson muttered, under his breath, as he flopped back onto the pillows – staring up at the ceiling, once again. "This can't be happening …" He continued muttering to himself. "I am _not _having this conversation, right now."

"Oh, come off it …" Hunter chided. "Cat's already out of the bag." He reasoned, cheekily. "Might as well spill the rest of the beans."

Sighing in resignation, Phil knew Hunter was right. _Let's just get this over-with._ He told himself, silently, as rolled over and propped himself back up to look at his partner. "Oh, all right …" He sighed. "I was the one to confess my feelings first … " He began, before Hunter interrupted him, again.

"Yes!" Hunter cheered, rolling over onto his back. "Simmons owes me twenty bucks!" Rolling back over, Lance took the incredulous gaze as his cue to stop talking. "Sorry … Continue …" He added

"As I was saying …" Coulson drawled, half-glaring at Hunter. " … one thing led to another … and, we were intimate … before I was called back to the Playground."

"Way to go, Coulson." Hunter grinned, before being silenced with another one of Coulson's famous glares. "Sorry …" He replied, quietly.

Shaking his head, slightly, Coulson completed his thought. "Anyway … That's … that's why I have to find her. I need to know she's safe."

Hunter understood where Coulson was coming from. Finally, he settled down and got real for a moment. "And, _that's _why we _will _find her …"

Coulson appreciated Hunter's attempt at reassurance. "I just hope you're right." He sighed, rolling back over on his back – staring at the ceiling while he waited for sleep to overtake him, once more.

Unsure of what more he could say, Lance Hunter just silently rolled back over to go back to sleep. Deep down, he wanted to be as sure as he sounded. But, he had to be realistic. The longer it took them to find Skye, the more likely it would be for something to happen to her.

* * *

_Bring me home in a blinding dream | Through the secrets that I have seen | Wash the sorrow from off my skin | Show me how to the be whole again_

_'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass | Hardly anything there for you to see | For you to see_

_'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass | Hardly anything else I need to be_

_'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass | Hardly anything there for you to see | For you to see | For you to see_

* * *

"Ready to go, again?" Logan asked his young, protege. He'd been working with Skye for about a month and she'd blown him away from day one with her skills in the art of hand-to-hand combat. She'd even managed to teach him a thing or two. And, since they'd started, she'd only grown stronger every day. But, he had to admit … Today, she wasn't looking too great. He could tell she was feeling weak, and, it had him concerned. Watching her leaning against the wall, water bottle clutched haphazardly in her hand, he could tell something was off.

"Yeah." Skye panted, more out of breath than she'd expected to be. She suspected she knew what might be causing her to feel weaker, but, she couldn't bring herself to face that possibility. The fact of the matter was that her period was three weeks late. And, she'd been experiencing nausea on a near daily basis. But, with everything else on her plate, she just didn't have time to think about what she would do if she was pregnant. "Yeah, I'm good … Juss …" She began, only to find her vision blacking out as she lost her balance.

Watching the water bottle fall from Skye's hand to the floor, Logan snapped to action, rushing across the room to catch the young hacktivist as she began to fall to the floor – successfully grasping her in his arms before she hit the ground. "Skye?" He called, worriedly. Upon receiving no response, he gently shook her limp body in his arms as he called out to her, again, with an audible note of concern in his voice. "Skye?!" When he still received no response, he muttered to himself "Shit!" as he took off at a dead run toward the infirmary.

* * *

"JEAN!" He called out, his eyes scanning the room. "JEAN!" He called out again when the doctor didn't respond, the first time.

"Logan, what is it?" Dr. Jean Grey replied, rounding the corner as she followed the sound of her friend's voice. "What's wrong?" She asked, before she saw the unconscious woman in his arms. "Oh God …" She muttered, ushering Logan over to the first open exam table. "What happened?!"

" I don't know." Logan replied, racking his brain for any sort of answers as to why the young woman he'd grown so attached to over the last month just suddenly collapsed on him during their training session. "We were taking a break during our training session and when I asked her if she was ready to go again, she just … collapsed …" He offered, hating the helpless feeling that was taking over him with a passion.

"I … might know why …" Marie replied, timidly, as she stepped forward into the hospital. Swallowing hard, she pressed onward as she felt a pair of intense gazes on her. "I think I might know why Skye passed out during training day." She elaborated.

"You do?" Jean questioned, curiously, as she prepared to examine the young hacktivist.

"Marie, what can you tell us about what happened to Skye?" Logan asked, fighting to keep his voice calm. He wasn't angry at the young mutant before him. He was just worried about Skye.

Marie couldn't help squirming ever so slightly under Logan's intense stare. She knew he wasn't angry at her, just worried about Skye. Although she'd only been with them for a month, Marie and everyone else could see how attached Logan had become to the young hacktivist Charles had ordered him to bring in. They'd all noticed the two of them had grown close – they acted like siblings whenever they were around one another. And, right now, Logan was playing every bit the role of overprotective older brother. "Well, it's just … Skye and I were talking the other night … She mentioned that she had been feeling nauseated and she'd been having dizzy spells …" She paused as Jean and Logan watched her, expectantly. "She also mentioned … that she … she said she was … late." She finished, finally, unsure of how to phrase what she wanted to say.

Looking back and forth between Marie and Jean, Logan could tell they both clearly understood something that was completely lost on him. "What … Would somebody please clue me in on what's going on, here?" He demanded, almost desperately.

"Logan, I know what Marie's trying to say …" Jean replied, calmly, preparing the test that she needed. "But, I'm going to have to run a blood test to be sure."

"Well?" Logan demanded, impatiently. "What is it?! … What do you suspect?!"

Knowing that Logan wouldn't give her any peace without any sort of answers on her part, Jean sighed as she elaborated "Logan … I think there's a chance that Skye could be pregnant …"

"'Pregnant'?" Logan repeated, still as confused as he was when he'd brought Skye into the infirmary. "What the hell do you mean, 'pregnant'?! How is that even possible?! If she's not sparring with me, she's working with Storm to control her powers. She's never been alone with anyone long enough to get pregnant."

"She told me … there was _somebody _… before she came here …" Marie offered, timidly.

"Logan, why don't you go with Marie and see what you can find out about Skye's previous relationship while I work on the blood-work?" Jean suggested, hoping to get some peace and quiet while she worked with Skye.

"Come on …" Marie added, gesturing for Logan to follow her. "Come on, Logan … I'll tell you everything I know." She added, hoping to entice Logan to go with her.

Looking back at Jean, he watched as she nodded for him to go. "Go on, Logan. I'll take care of Skye. And, I'll let you know the minute I find anything." She added assuring him that his protege would be in good hands. Trusting Skye would be in good hands with Jean, Logan reluctantly tore himself away to go with Marie and find out whatever he could about Skye's past.

* * *

_She can account for all of the men in her life | Where they are now who they married how many kids they have | She knew their backgrounds, family and friends | A few she even talks to now and then_

_A chance meeting, a party a few years back | Broad shoulders and blue eyes, his hair was so black | He was a friend of a friend you could say | She let his smile sweep her away | And, in her heart, oh she knew that it was wrong | But, too much wine | And, she left his bed at dawn | And, she thinks his name was John_

* * *

"Okay, Marie …" Logan replied, forcing his voice to remain calm as he paced back and forth in front of the young mutant. "What, exactly, did Skye tell you?" He asked, levelly. "Did she say anything about who the baby's father could be?"

"Yes, she did." Marie replied, summoning every ounce of self-confidence she had as she prepared herself for what she knew, full-well, could be a very difficult conversation with Logan. "But, what she told me was a rather long story. She told me she first met him when he brought her in for questioning in a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation." She added, elaborating on all the information Skye had given her. "She said his name was Phil Coulson. They worked together for a couple of years before H.Y.D.R.A. Infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and forced them to rebuild the organization. Now, he's the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and when she came into her powers, he took her to a secluded log cabin where she could relax and try to get control over her powers."

Logan, for his part, listened – patiently – to Marie's story of Skye's past. _She was right … _He thought to himself. _This _is _a long story. _He decided, as he waited for her to finish.

"Anyway …" Marie continued. "Phil Coulson was the only man Skye's ever mentioned being with, recently. So, he's got to be the father." She reasoned, finally, sitting quietly waiting for Logan's reaction.

"Okay, then." Logan replied, finally halting his pacing as he turned to face Marie. "I'm gonna find him-"

"What?!" Marie questioned, curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I would think a man would want to know he's got a kid on the way …" Logan reasoned, bluntly. "Wouldn't you think?" He asked, sarcastically.

Seeing Logan's point, Marie replied "Yeah, I suppose you're right." Pausing, she appeared pensive, for a moment, before speaking again. "But, _you're_ not gonna tell him, are you?"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Logan questioned, growing irritated.

"Well, I just think that news like that would be better coming from Skye, herself." Marie argued, finally standing up for her point of view.

Sighing, Logan ran a hand through his hair as he conceded her point. "Yeah, I suppose you got a point."

"You probably won't have any trouble getting him to come in, though." Marie warned, watching as Logan quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?" Logan questioned, curiously.

"Well, Skye told me that things sounded pretty bad at S.H.I.E.L.D. when she went on the run." Marie reasoned. "She said that her supervising officer ordered her to run." She elaborated. "And, from what Skye's told me about their relationship, he'll probably be searching for her and be desperate to know if she's all right …" She added. "Just tell him you know where Skye is and that you've been keeping her safe." Before either of them could say another word, Jean joined them in the room. "What's the verdict?" He asked, anxiously.

"The blood-work came back." Jean replied, quietly. "Our suspicions were correct … Skye's pregnant." Even though they'd all suspected it, the news of Skye's pregnancy sat in the air like an elephant in the room. Logan simply turned and left the room – preparing his search for Phil Coulson.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**Well, I hope they all enjoyed this chapter. I hope to have chapter 5 up in another couple of days. In the meantime, don't forget to drop me a review! Remember! I _do _take requests!

~Skye Coulson


	5. There's No Place That Far

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing.

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Sara Evans - "No Place That Far"

* * *

There's No Place That Far

* * *

_If I had to run, if I had to crawl | If I had to swim a hundred rivers, just to climb a thousand walls | Always know that I would find a way to get to where you are | There's no place that far_

_It wouldn't matter why we're apart | Lonely minds or two stubborn hearts | Nothing short of God above | Could turn me away from your love | I need you that much_

* * *

After over a month of failure, Phil Coulson didn't want to admit it … But, he was starting to lose hope of ever finding Skye. He couldn't help wondering if someone had gotten to her or if something had happened to her. There was a nagging little voice in the back of that mind told him that – if Skye were okay – she would have found some way of letting him know. She was creative enough, she could find a way to contact him without attracting the attention of the 'real' S.H.I.E.L.D. _She's just being cautious … _He told that little voice. Phil Coulson knew what a fighter Skye was. She'd be okay … She had to be.

However, he was suddenly snapped out of his reverie by a familiar voice next to him. "We'll find her, mate." Lance Hunter told him, once again.

"I know." Phil sighed, turning to face Hunter. "It's just hard to stay positive after all this time … I was hoping we'd have found her, by now …" He added, his voice sounding uncharacteristically lost.

"Two coffees black?" The young cafe waitress spoke, interrupting the conversation as she appaeared at their table on the outdoor patio of the coffeehouse, holding two cups of coffee in her hands.

"Thanks, love." Lance Hunter replied, as the waitress set the drinks before them.

* * *

"Everything looks good on the ultrasound." Jean replied, passing a printout of Skye's ultrasound to Logan. "The fetus-" She began, before Logan cut her off.

"Baby." Logan corrected, sternly. "Called it what it is … A baby."

"The _baby _appears to be four weeks along in its development …" Jean began, carefully, adjusting for Logan's correction. "And, also appears to be perfectly healthy." She added, with the faintest ghost of a smile.

"Well, I guess that's _one _good thing." Logan grunted, as he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jean called after him, curiously.

"To find the baby's father." Logan called, back, over his shoulder.

Turning to face Marie, Jean added "You should go with him …" She suggested. "Make sure he doesn't do something he'll regret."

"Right." Marie nodded, rising from her seat to follow Logan out of the room.

Watching the two of them leave, Jean could only hope that Marie would keep Logan calm when they found the baby's father. She knew how protective Logan was of Skye and while that was usually an endearing quality, she knew how easily that could cause a problem in a public setting if it got the better of Logan. Sighing lightly, she turned back to speak with Skye.

* * *

**_That's _**_Phil Coulson?! _Logan thought to himself, incredulously, as he watched the pair of federal agents a couple of tables away. _He's old enough to be her _**_father_**_! _He silently seethed, his mind turning to the sonogram picture he was clutching in his pocket.

Marie could sense Logan tensing up – which she had fully expected, given what Skye had told her about the age difference between herself and Phil. But, after they'd been eavesdropping on the agents' conversation, she could tell he deeply cared about her and knew he was a good guy for Skye. Gently gripping Logan's leather-clad arm in her gloved hand, she gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Take it easy." She reminded him. "He's really important to Skye … Try to go easy on him."

"'Go easy on him?!" Logan growled, incredulously, as he turned to face Marie. "He's old enough to be _her _father, for God's sake." He added.

"I know that …" Marie conceded. "But, Skye's told me a lot about him … Even if only _half _of it was true … I couldn't imagine a better man for her to be with." She elaborated, watching him with a softened, sympathetic gaze. Logan wanted to believe her. But, all he could see was the years between them. Finally, with a steadying breath, he rose from his seat and began to approach the other table. "Oh good God …" Marie muttered under her breath, watching the impending exchange from between her fingers.

"You Phil Coulson?" Logan grunted, gruffly.

"Depends on who's asking." Coulson countered, briefly.

"Name's Logan." Logan grumbled, the irritation evident in his voice though it baffled the two agents before him. "Now, I'm gonna be honest with you … I don't like you too much, right now. But, I'm gonna overlook that because you happen to be very important to someone who happens to be very important to me."

"Look, mate, I don't know just the what the hell you're playing at …" Lance warned, rising from his seat.

"I'd sit my ass back down, if I were you." The tone in Logan's voice was low and intimidating and seemed to have the desired effect as the agent before him lowered himself back down into his seat. "Now … as I was saying …" He elaborated, his voice returning to normal. "I know the young woman you're looking for … Skye-"

"You know where she is?!" Coulson replied, eagerly, almost jumping out of his seat. "Please! You have to tell me where she is! Is she okay?! Is she safe?! Is she-" However, Coulson was soon silenced with an envelope in Logan's hand as he shoved it in the director's face.

"This!" Logan hissed. "**This **is how she's doing! Ya see this?!" He barked, looming over the director's smaller frame. "This is the first-ever taken photo of your **_CHILD_**!" Logan shouted. "This is a photo of your unborn **_CHILD_**!"

Phil Coulson's blood ran cold as he froze to the spot when Logan shoved the envelope into his hand. Visibly shaking, he slowly flipped the top open to pull out the contents. When he examined the ultrasound print-out in his hand, Phil would have sworn his heart _actually _skipped a beat. He never thought the day would come when he'd be looking down at a photo of his unborn child.

Glancing over Phil's shoulder at the print-out in his hand, Lance Hunter had no words for what he was looking at. Never, in a million years, would he have expected this turn of events. _Shit … _He thought to himself. The situation just got inifinitely more complicated. "Bloody hell …" He muttered, quietly.

"Bloody hell is right." Phil muttered as he finally wrenched his attention away from the ultrasound to look back up at Logan. "I don't care who you think I am or what you may think of me. That doesn't matter to me. All that matters to me … is Skye." Logan had to admit, the quiet determination in Coulson's voice surprised even him. "So, please … I am begging you … There are people after her – people whose intentions I can't be sure of … She needs me." He paused to hold up the ultrasound. "Now, more than ever. … Please … I need you to take me to her."

"Yeah." Logan replied, finally, after a brief, tense, silence. "Yeah, don't worry. I didn't track you down for my own sick amusement … I tracked you down so I could bring you to her." He finished, before turning around to head back. When he didn't hear footsteps behind him, he turned to call to the agents over his shoulder. "You comin' or not?"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry, I got plenty in store for ya in the next chapter … including a major bombshell for Coulsye. :D

~Skye Coulson


	6. I Need My Girl

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As per usual, I own nothing!

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Blake Shelton - "I Need My Girl"  
Chloe Wang - "Every Day In Between"

* * *

I Need My Girl

* * *

_I don't need another drink of Johnny Walker Red | And, I don't need another drag off a Marlboro cigarette | And, I don't need me telling myself everything's gonna be all right | And, I don't need me lying here alone again tonight_

_Ineed my girl, I need my baby | I need you, ninety miles an hour down the interstate | Headlights shining in the driveway | In my arms and I need you right now | I don't need nothing else, baby, in this world | I just need my girl_

* * *

"Well …" Logan stated, gruffly, walking up to the doorway to the room where Skye was training with Storm. "Here, we are." He offered, by way of greeting. "She's in the middle of training – she's really come a long way in controlling her powers. Still got a ways to go, but, she's made real progress." He elaborated, carefully opening the doors – hoping not to break Skye's focus.

As the doors swung open, Phil saw Skye standing in the middle of the room, next to a woman dressed in a white blouse and dark wash jeans with short, white hair and dark gray eyes. The woman had her hands on Skye's shoulders, whispering something in her ear. Looking across the room, Phil noticed a tall, intense older man with silver hair and a firm, sculpted physique. Something about the man didn't sit right with Phil. But, before he could dwell on it too much longer, he noticed that Storm had given him a signal to begin. Before Phil could react, he could see a large knife lift out of the back of the man's pocket of its own accord as it flew directly at Skye. Terrified, Phil shifted his focus, preparing to protect the mother of his unborn child when he saw her throw her hands up, defensively as an invisible forcefield manifested – protecting Skye as the knife flew back toward the man that had launched it at her, in the first place.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Storm hissed, charging across the room at Magneto. "We had a deal! No. Sharp. Objects." She ground out. "You were to stick to safe, non-lethal objects _only_! Do you have **_any _**idea what kind of **risk **you posed to Skye and-"

"'Scuse me …" Logan interjected, clearing his throat to announce his presence. "But, we have company." He added as all eyes turned to him and Phil in the doorway.

"Coulson!" Skye breathed, awestruck by her lover's presence at the school, as she raced across the room – launching herself into his arms – as she threw her own arms around his neck. "You're here!" She added, voice shaking from the tears threatening to fall.

"Is it true?" Phil asked, breathlessly, as they finally parted.

Staring back into her lover's eyes, quizzically, Skye wondered "Is what true?" Though, she feared she already knew the answer to that question as she steeled herself for the explanation she knew she'd have to face sooner or later.

"What Logan told me." Coulson supplied, cryptically. "About the baby? … You're pregnant?"

And, there it was. The cat was out of the bag. Unsure of how to proceed, Skye couldn't decide how to feel. On the one hand, she was relieved to see Phil again. On the other, she was furious with Logan for telling Phil about the baby when they'd already arranged for her to have that extremely delicate conversation with him, herself. Before she realized it, the ground had started to shake – decorations falling from their hanging places on the walls … glass shattering around them – as she glared, directly at Logan. "How could you?" She hissed, her voice deathly quiet. "You were supposed to let _me _discuss _my _pregnancy with _my _unborn child's father!" She spat, venomously."

"Skye, please …" Logan replied, attempting to placate his young friend. Cautiously stepping forward, toward the young woman, with his hands raised – reaching out toward her. However, he only made it a couple of steps before Skye threw her hands up, defensively – creating a forcefield which not only knock Logan off of his feet, but, threw him to the bottom landing of the adjacent staircase.

"Logan!" Storm cried out, racing down the stairs to her teammate's aid. Meanwhile, Magneto could sense an awkward situation arising and took the opportunity to make his discreet exit.

"Logan?!" Coulson questioned, turning to follow the direction in which he'd seen the stranger that had led him to Skye had been thrown.

"Bloody hell!" Hunter muttered, under his breath. "You stay here with Skye." He added, focusing his attention on Coulson, for a moment, before returning to the matter of the mutant lying at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm gonna go deal with that."

* * *

Phil just nodded, numbly, as he turned around and noticed he and Skye were alone. Fortunately, the shaking had stopped when Logan hit the floor and Skye seemed to have visibly calmed herself. Though, he could tell she was clearly upset with herself for having lost control, again. Carefully, Phil crossed the room – thankful that Skye hadn't thrown up her defenses, again – and wrapped his arms around her as he held her close, against his chest.

Reveling in the warmth and security of Phil's embrace – a feeling she had missed for far too long – Skye felt all of her walls crashing down around her. "I'm so sorry …" She cried, quietly, into his shoulder – clinging to him, desperately. "I didn't wanna hurt him." She elaborated, her voice thick and watery with the tears that fell against her will.

"I know." Coulson assured her, quietly. "I know you didn't. We all do – even Logan." He added, quietly – holding her with one arm while the other hand gently stroked her hair.

"Ever since I got here, he's been like a brother to me!" Skye added, shakily. "I would never do anything to intentionally hurt him – I just … I was just upset and I just wanted him to back off and I–"

"I know." Coulson repeated, quietly, once more. "And, he'll be okay." He added, pulling just far enough away from Skye to look her in the eye. "I'm more worried about you, right now. You _and _the baby."

"Everything's fine." Skye assured him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Jean's been taking really good care of me, ever since we found out I was pregnant." She added, regaining her composure. "She's been handling all of my … prenatal care." She added, finishing with a tone of disbelief. "Wow … Ya know I … I never thought that this would happen … I can't believe this is actually happening …" She spoke, her face plagued with her disbelief. "I'm actually pregnant and talking about 'prenatal care' and my _baby _…"

"It's a lot to take in …" Phil replied. Truthfully, he was in the same boat. Settling down and having a family … That sort of thing had just never been in the cards, for him. Or, so, he'd once thought. But, he'd once thought a lot of things before he met Skye. She'd changed so much in his life. He didn't really see why this should be any different. "And, I know it's overwhelming – everything's gonna change …" He admitted, stepping in closer to her, taking her arms into his grasp as he looked straight into her eyes. "But, these are uncharted waters–" He began, only to be cut off.

"And, if anyone can find a way through them, it's me." Skye supplied, rolling her eyes playfully at Phil. "Am I right?"

"Actually …" Phil corrected, gently, cupping Skye's chin, tenderly, between his thumb and forefinger. "I was _going _to say … If anyone can find a way through them … It's _us_." He finished, staring straight into his lover's eyes, driving his point home.

* * *

_In the stone cold winter and the storm of love | When it makes you pray for a miracle | I am still here to promise, to have and to hold | You know, I'm gonna love you | (Every day in between) | (Every day in between)_

* * *

_**10 weeks later**_

* * *

Today was the big day. Skye and Coulson were meeting with Jean in the hospital ward to learn the sex of their baby. Jean smiled when she walked in to see Skye already laying back on the exam table with her button-down shirt open to reveal her stomach, which had already begun to round out, nicely – at least according to Jean. Skye, sometimes, couldn't help feeling self-concious about her changing body. It was during those times, she was grateful to have someone as loving and supportive as Coulson who constantly reminded her of just how beautiful she was, in his eyes. "Are you guys ready to find out the sex of your baby?" Jean asked, with an excited smile on her face. This may not have been an ideal situation – with Skye's pregnancy piled on top of her trying to learn to control her emotions and her powers – but, she couldn't deny how happy she was for the two young, lovebirds. _They really are great, together._ She thought to herself, as she watched the couple before her.

"_Beyond _'ready'." Skye affirmed, eagerly. "The anticipation's been driving me crazy." She elaborated, before turning to Phil, squeezing his hand, gently. "_I _think it's gonna be a girl … And, _Phil _seems to be convinced it's gonna be a boy." She added, playfully. "So, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could settle the debate, once and for all."

"Well, I'll certainly give it my best shot." Jean replied, readying her equipment. "But, I will warn you … The results of this ultrasound will depend, largely, on your baby's willingness to cooperate with us." She added, with a playful smile.

"Great." Phil replied, with a note of playful sarcasm in his voice. "In that case we may never know until the baby's _born_." He added, earning himself a playful smack on the chest from the young mother-to-be.

"Well, then, I guess we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed." Jean replied, playfully, she finished preparing her tools. "Okay, then … Do you guys have any questions, before we start?" She asked.

"Well, I did have one question, I was kinda curious about." Skye began, carefully.

"Of course, Skye." Jean replied, warmly. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, it's just that …" Skye paused, trying to figure out how to phrase her question. "I was just wondering if it's normal to be this big, this early." She finally finished, running her free hand over her protruding stomach. "I mean, it looks like I swallowed a watermelon _whole_."

"Every pregnancy is different, Skye." Jean assured the young mother-to-be, gently. "Some women don't start showing until very late in the pregnancy and some show unusually early. I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about."

"Are you sure?" Skye questioned, an uneasy tone in her voice.

"Of course." Jean reassured Skye, with a warm smile. "Now … This is gonna be cold." She smiled, as she spread the jelly over Skye's stomach before beginning the ultrasound examination.

Phil and Skye shared an excited gaze as they anxiously waited for the image to appear on the monitor before them. In just moments, they would know the gender of their unborn child.

"Well, it looks like I've got a little surprise for the two of you." Jean spoke, breaking the silence, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"What is it?" Skye questioned, curious about the tone in the doctor's voice as well as the mischievous grin on her face.

"What's going on?" Phil questioned, equally curious.

"Well, to settle your debate …" Jean began, pausing tauntingly. "It looks like you're _both _right." She grinned, pointing to the monitor. "Congratulations, you guys … It's twins!" Phil and Skye shared a shocked gaze before staring, in disbelief at the monitor. There, right before their very eyes were two very clearly defined babies. "Baby A …" Jean added, pointing to one of the babies on the screen " … appears to be a beautiful little baby girl, while Baby B …" She elaborated, shifting the focus to the second baby on the screen. " … would appear to be a bouncing baby boy." She smiled, watching the soon-to-be parents staring, in awe, at the sight of their unborn children on the screen before them. Sensing they might want a moment alone to discuss the shocking development, she spoke once more. "I'll give you guys a moment to yourselves…" She finished, as she took her leave.

* * *

"Now, _that _I did not see coming." Phil Coulson spoke, dumbfounded by the latest development in his beloved young hacktivist's pregnancy.

"You're telling me?!" Skye replied, equally dumbfounded by the latest turn of events. She never even thought she'd have _one _child … Now, she had just learned she was carrying _two_. Her entire world had been turned upside down. But, she wasn't entirely sure she was completely upset about it. "Well, I guess that explains my huge baby bump." She added, trying to inject a little levity into the situation.

"I'll say…" Phil replied, shifting his focus to Skye as he helped her sit upright, closing her blouse. "How do you feel about this?" He asked, gesturing toward the monitor.

"Well, it's definitely thrown me for a loop, that's for sure." Skye replied, absently rubbing her rounded belly. "I guess I don't really know _how _to feel about it." She offered, lamely. "I mean, I never even imagined myself as a _mom_ … Now, I just found out I'm having _twins_…"

"It's a hell of a lot to take in." Phil affirmed. "There's no doubt about that."

"Definitely." Skye agreed. "But, honestly … I'm actually kind of excited about this." Skye explained, discovering an excitement that she hadn't realized she'd been feeling since the shock of learning about the twins had overwhelmed her entire body.

Phil had to admit that he shared Skye's excitement. He, too, had never thought he'd be a father. But, to learn that he would soon be the father of two … It was definitely an exhilerating thought. It was also terrifying. "I can't argue with you, there." Phil conceded. "But, it's also equally exciting and terrifying."

"No arguments, here, DC." Skye agreed. She, too, was terrified by the prospect of being responsible for _two _young lives. "I am completely in the dark on this…" She sighed, lightly, as Phil helped her to her feet.

"But, at least we're in the dark together." Phil smiled, repeating the same words Skye had once said to him, as he stared straight into her eyes.

"Yeah … We are." Skye smiled, leaning forward and closing the already small gap between them as she captured his lips with her own. Stepping back, she gripped Phil's left hand in her right as she spoke, again. "So … Are you ready to break the news to everyone else?"

"I'm ready whenever you are." Phil replied, giving Skye's hand a gentle squeeze as he led her out of the exam room to face their friends, together.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**As always, I hope you like this chapter and, please, don't forget to leave a review!

~Skye Coulson


	7. Don't You Ever Grow Up

**A New Rose**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing!

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Family/Angst

**Pairing:  
**Coulsye

**Lyrics Used:  
**Taylor Swift - "Never Grow Up"  
Toby Keith - "Courtesy of the Red, White &amp; Blue (the Angry American)"  
Carrie Underwood - "So Small"  
Taylor Swift - "Never Grow Up"

* * *

Don't You Ever Grow Up

* * *

_Your little hand's wrapped around my finger | And, it's so quiet in the world, tonight | Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming | So, I tuck you in and turn on your favorite night light | To you, everything's funny, you got nothin' to regret | I'd give all I have, honey | If you could stay like that_

_Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up | Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little | Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up | Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple | I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart | And, no one will desert you | Just try to never grow up, never grow up_

* * *

"Well?" Rogue prompted, eagerly, as she was surrounded by the rest of her friends as they anxiously awaited the results of Phil and Skye's gender ultrasound. "What's the verdict?!"

Phil and Skye smiled, mischievously as they surveyed all of their new friends' anxious expressions as they all awaited the news of their baby's gender. All except Jean, of course, who had agreed to keep their secret until their big gender reveal party, the following weekend. "Relax, everyone…" Skye replied, turning to Phil with an excited smile.

"All will be revealed at the gender reveal party, this weekend." Coulson replied, enjoying all of the disappointed groans and eye-rolls rather thoroughly.

Scanning the room, Skye couldn't help noticing someone missing and feeling guilty for their absence. "Where's Logan?" She questioned, quietly. "I wanted to apologize for, earlier." She added, casting her gaze downward as she began wringing her hands, nervously.

"He'll be back." Jean assured her, gently. "He just went to work on a surprise for your reveal party." She added. "But, he _did _want me to tell you that he knew you'd want to apologize and he just wants you to know that there's no apology necessary." The doctor smiled, warmly, resting a reassuring hand on the young mother-to-be's shoulder.

"Thanks, Jean." Skye smiled, gratefully, as she turned to Phil.

"Why don't we get outta here and go somewhere we can be alone." The soon-to-be father offered. It was true. Ever since things had gone south at S.H.I.E.L.D. and they'd both had to go on the run, they hadn't had much time alone, together, just the two of them. He figured they could both use the peace and quiet. After all, they clearly had a lot to catch up on.

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard in a long time." Skye smiled, taking Phil's hand in her own as they made their way out of the crowd, leaving a chorus of disappointment in their wake.

* * *

_It's so easy to get lost inside | A problem that seems so big at the time | It's like a river that's so wide, it swallows you whole | While you're sitting around thinking about what you can't change | And worrying about all the wrong things | Time's flying by, moving so fast | You better make it count 'cause you can't get it back_

_Sometimes, that mountain you've been climbing | Is just a grain of sand | And, what you've been out there, searching for, forever | Is in your hands | Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters, after all | It sure makes everything else seem so small_

* * *

"So, what happened at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Skye questioned, curiously as she and Phil settled themselves onto what had now become _their _bed, ever since Phil had arrived at the school. "What happened? Why did May order me to run? And, why was she saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. was after me?! What was she talking about?" These were just a small fraction of the millions of questions that still plagued her mind about that day.

"A senior agent … A man by the name of Agent Robert Gonzalez …" Phil began, carefully, making sure he didn't leave anything out. He was done hiding things from his beloved hacktivist. It hadn't served him, well, in the past and he highly doubted it would serve him well, now. " … broke in with a team of agents … They call themselves 'the _real _S.H.I.E.L.D.' …"

"'The _real _S.H.I.E.L.D.'?!" Skye questioned, baffled. "What the hell does that even mean?!" She added, completely lost. She never even knew there _was _another S.H.I.E.L.D. Now, they were hunting her and taking over headquarters?!

"They were saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to lead through transparency and that Fury and his secrets were what caused S.H.I.E.L.D. to fall-" Phil began, trying to answer all of Skye's questions. However, he was soon interrupted.

"Bullshit!" Skye hissed, disbelieving, before Phil spoke, again.

"He wasn't totally wrong." Phil replied, attempting to placate his agitated hacktivist. "I, myself, didn't agree with some of Fury's decisions."

"That still doesn't give them any right to just barge in like they own the place!" The young, expectant mother declared, angrily. "How did they even _find _the Playground, anyway?!" She wondered.

Phil remained silent as he mentally searched for an easy way to answer Skye's question. Realizing that there was none, he just went for broke with the truth. "Unfortunately, Bobbi and Mac were working for them-"

"Great!" Skye scoffed. "First Ward, now, Bobbi and Mac?! Is there _no one _we can trust, anymore?!" She declared, hating how helpless she felt. Every time they started to trust someone, that person turned right around and stabbed them in the back.

"They're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents." Phil reminded her, quietly. "The same as us-"

"We are _nothing _like them!" Skye hissed, not even noticing the bed beginning to tremble, slightly. "We don't just barge in and take what we want! Not from our own people!"

"Skye, please …" Phil pleaded with her, quietly. He knew she needed to relax before things got out of hand – for her own good as well as the babies' … not to mention everyone else. "I need you to calm down."

It was only then that Skye felt the tremors. Employing the breathing techniques that Storm had taught her to help control her emotions, she soon calmed herself enough to stop the tremors. "I'm sorry." She offered, quietly. "I'm just really tired of people turning out to not be completely who they say they are."

"I know the feeling." Phil conceded. He couldn't deny that he, too, had felt somewhat betrayed by Bobbi and Mac's actions. "But, like I said … They're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They were just doing their job. Try to see it from their side."

"Their side is kinda hard to see … The way they _lied _to our _faces_." Skye scoffed. She wanted to believe in her teammates – to give them the benefit of the doubt. But, it was hard when you'd been stabbed in the back as many times as she shad.

"I know it is." Phil assured his young lover, pulling her into a comforting embrace.

* * *

_Justice will be served, and the battle will rage | This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage | And, you'll be sorry that you messed with | The U.S. of A | 'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass | It's the American way_

_Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list | And, the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist | And, the Eagle will fly | Man, it's gonna be hell | When you hear Mother Freedom start ringin' her bell | And, it'll feel like the whole wide world | Is raining down on you | Yeah, brought to courtesy of the red, white and blue_

* * *

Walking out the door of the Playground, Leo Fitz sighed as he realized he couldn't shake the feeling that he was leaving home. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been his home for so long, he didn't know how he'd ever feel at home, anywhere else. Turning back around, he climbed inside the awaiting car. As the car took off, he began going through his bags only to find that Simmons had made him one of his favorite sandwiches. "Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella with a hint of pesto aioli." He muttered, to himself, inhaling the aroma as he unwrapped the sandwich. Sinking his teeth into the sandwich, he savored every flavor in each of its many layers – knowing that he may never taste the exact same flavor combinations ever again. Swallowing the bite, on that sad note, Leo noticed the driver of the car pulling off in an abandoned alleyway. "Um, ex-excuse me … Why are we stopping?" He questioned, curiously.

"Because I got a message for ya." The man in the driver's seat replied, gruffly. As Leo took in the man's appearance – his dark ruffled locks, his deep brown eyes – the man was very intimidating to look at. Though, Leo could only stare at him, baffled, when the man passed him a small, pastel green envelope. "Go on…" He encouraged, nudging the envelope a little closer to the engineer. "It's from Skye."

"Skye?!" Leo finally replied – the mention of Skye's name perking his interest. "You know where she is?!" He added, disbelieving, as he quickly snatched the envelope out of the driver's hands. "Is she okay?! Is she safe?! Is she …" However, Leo's voice soon trailed off while his eyes threatened to bulge out of his head as he read the card inside the envelope. "**PREGNANT**?!" Leo cried, in shock. "What the bloody hell is this all about?!" He demanded, turning to the driver. "Just who the bloody hell are _you_ and where the hell do you think you get off trying to spread a rumor like this?!" He ranted, onward waving the card and the envelope in the driver's face, demanding answers.

"My name is Logan." The driver replied, calmly. "I work for a man named Charles Xavier-" He continued, only to be cut off by the engineer.

"You mean _the _Charles Xavier?!" Leo questioned, awestruck.

"Sounds like you've heard of 'im." Logan quipped, playfully.

"Wait …" Leo's voice trailed off, as he slowly began putting the pieces, together. "If your name is Logan … Are you one of the X-Men?!"

"You bet your life." Logan replied, casually.

"You're Wolverine!" Leo declared, finally figuring it all out.

"Boy, nothin' gets by you, slick." Logan teased, gently.

"But, how do you know Skye?" The engineer questioned, still trying to figure out that part of the puzzle.

"Because Charles could see her – after she came into her powers. She may not be a mutant, but, Charles' machine – Cerebro – can see anybody, anywhere in the world, with powers or gifts like Skye's." Logan elaborated. "When he saw that she was on the run – that she was being hunted – he ordered me to bring her into the school where the other X-Men and I could help her learn to control her powers while keeping her safe from harm. While she was there, she learned that she was pregnant."

Mulling over Logan's information in his head, Leo voiced his next question. "So … if Skye's pregnant … Who's the father?" He wondered, curiously, before suddenly realizing that it may not be any of his business. But, Skye was his friend. He'd risked everything – even tainting science in the name of protecting her. Surely, that entitled him to know _something_.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told ya." Logan smirked, watching the wheels turning in the young engineer's head.

"Everything I ever thought I knew has just been turned upside down by people I once thought I could trust." Leo deadpanned. "Try me." He dared, staring Logan straight in the eye as he spoke.

"Well … all right, then." Logan sighed. "The baby's father's name … is Phil Coulson."

Having just taken a sip of water from the water bottle he'd packed when he'd left, Leo reflexively spit the mouthful of water back out, accidentally spraying Logan in the face. "Sorry." He muttered, timidly.

Wiping the water off his face, Logan could only chuckle as he replied "Don't sweat it, kid. … Told ya you wouldn't believe me."

"Actually…" Leo drawled, thinking back over all the time he'd spent with both Skye and Coulson. "The whole team always knew there was something going on between those two. I just didn't know they'd acted on it … I _never _would have imagined they'd be having a _baby_." The engineer elaborated, still shell-shocked over the news.

"Well, believe it, kid." Logan smirked. "'At's why I'm here. Just like the invitation said, they're having a big party, this weekend to announce the baby's sex. And, I know it'd sure mean a lot to have you there."

"Definitely." Leo affirmed, excitedly. "Boy … Skye, pregnant … Coulson as the father? This, I've gotta see."

"Well, that's one down." Logan confirmed. "Mind helpin' me get to your friends, Melinda May and Jemma Simmons?" He questioned, curiously.

And, there was the rub. "Oh … That could be a bit of a problem." Leo confessed, quietly. "You see … I didn't want to have anything to do with the '_real_' S.H.I.E.L.D. …" He drawled, awkwardly – sneering the word 'real'. "So, once I was cleared and debriefed, they told me I was free to leave if that was what I really wanted. And, since it was, I did." The engineer explained. "But, the problem with leaving is that they usually require you to turn in your badge. So, I can't get us in." He finished, a note of defeat in his tone. However, Logan could almost see the metaphoric light bulb illuminating over Leo's head as he snapped his gaze back up, excitedly. "Wait a minute …" He spoke, once more. "Hang on …" He muttered, digging through his bag, before he pulled out a small robot. "Ah! Here it is! I _did _manage to bring my DWARFs with me … We can use them to overload the circuits in the main security system and temporarily disable all alarms and locks … They can get us in."

"Sounds like a plan." Logan smiled, swiftly turning the car around to return to the base to get Skye's remaining friends.

* * *

"What the hell?!" Bobbi muttered, looking around for an explanation for all of the blank computer monitors around her. "What's going on?!"

"Something's overloaded the circuits in the security system network." Mac explained. "The entire security network's been shut down."

"Can you get it back online?" Gonzalez questioned.

"Should only take me a few minutes once I figure out what overloaded the circuits." Mac nodded.

"Get on it." Gonzalez ordered, curtly. "We can't afford any vulnerabilities." Mac nodded his understanding before setting off to fix the security system. "You don't suppose Fitz had anything to do with this?" The senior agent questioned, turning to face Bobbi, curiously.

"It's doubtful." Bobbi replied, dismissively. "Leo may have access technology that could do something like that … But, he seemed pretty hellbent on getting as far away from here as physically possible." She reasoned. "He may not be our biggest fan, but, I can't see him resorting to something like this. Especially not alone."

"Who says he's working alone?" Gonzalez questioned, quirking an eyebrow at his younger colleague.

* * *

"May should be just in here." Fitz declared, quietly, as he and Logan approached the room Leo had seen the other agents take Agent May to.

"Fitz!" May barked, quietly. "Fitz, what are you doing here?!" She hissed, urgently, before turning her attention to Logan. "And, who are you?" She demanded, eying the stranger before her, suspiciously.

"Relax." Fitz replied, reassuring his friend and colleague. "His name's Logan and he's on our side." He added, figeting anxiously under the combination of the nerves from breaking into the base and the pressure of trying not to blurt out the news of Skye's baby. "He knows where Skye and Coulson are!" He squeaked, clapping his hands over his mouth before he said any more.

"You know where Skye and Coulson are?" May demanded, urgently.

"Yes." Logan replied, sincerely. "And, I give you my word that they're both safe and sound." He elaborated. "That's why I'm here-" He added, before Leo finally cracked under the pressure of Skye's secret.

"Skye's pregnant!" Leo blurted out, before he'd even realized it. Recognizing what he'd done, he immediately clapped his hands back over his mouth.

"What?!" May barked. "What are you talking about?" She added, before turnin g her focus to Logan. "What the hell have you done to Skye?"

Logan had to admit that even he felt a little intimidated by the almost feral look in Asian woman's eyes. She looked, for all the world, like a mother that had just learned that her teenage daughter's boyfriend had gotten her pregnant. _Which really ain't _that _far off the mark._ He thought to himself as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey! Hey! Take it easy!" He replied. "I didn't do anything – I ain't the kid's father!" He added, defensively. "I'm just a friend of the mother-to-be who knows how much it would mean to her to have all of her friends together at her gender reveal party, this weekend." He finished, offering May her own invitation.

After considering Logan for a brief, tense, moment, Melinda decided to take the proffered envelope. Upon scanning the card's contents, she soon looked up at Logan with an expression that clearly said _You gotta be kidding me! You bust me outta here to take me to some party?!_ "If you're not the father … Who is?" She questioned, though, she suspected she already knew the answer.

"His name's Phil Coulson. … Look, I know it may seem stupid to be talking about a party, right now – with everything going on." Logan conceded. "But, don't you think that's exactly what makes this the perfect time? The 'real' S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't going anywhere, anytime soon … But, I know we could all use a break to step back and regroup." He offered, hoping to sway the pilot.

"I suppose you're right." Melinda finally acquiesced. Truthfully, she was just grateful for the chance to get as far away from the 'real' S.H.I.E.L.D. as possible until they could figure out a way to take back S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Great!" Leo cheered, quietly. "That just leaves Jemma."

* * *

"Got the security network back online." Mac reported, rejoining Agents Morse and Gonzalez.

"Good." Gonzalez affirmed, before turning to his agent. "How long until we pinpoint the cause of the system carsh?" He questioned.

"I've already got the scanners running." Mac replied. "We should have the results shortly."

"Keep me posted." Gonzalez ordered, curtly. "I want to know the moment we find the cause of the crash." Turning to face Bobbi, Gonzalez finished his thought. "And, keep me aprised of any intruders you find."

Glancing back and forth between the two agents, Mac could see there was an underlying understanding between the two of them that he'd been left out of. Shifting that to the back-burner, he replied. "You got it."

* * *

"Fitz!" Jemma Simmons squeaked in surprise when she saw the ever-familiar engineer enter the lab alongside Melinda May and another man she didn't recognize. "What're you doing here?" She just managed to get the words out before Leo clapped a hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Shh!" Fitz quieted her, quickly. "Not so loud. We don't have a lot of time." He elaborated, finally releasing the bio-chemist. "This is Logan – he's on our side. He knows where Skye and Coulson are. And – to make a very long and complicated story as short as physically possible – he's here to take us all to them for Skye's big gender reveal party."

"'Gender reveal party'?!" Jemma gasped, quietly. "You mean … Skye's _pregnant_?!" Looking at her friends and the stranger with them in disbelief, she added "Are you _serious_? Who's the father?!" She demanded.

May, Fitz, and Logan all shared an awkward look as May finally broke the silence. "It's Coulson." She replied, quietly.

"_May and Coulson are having a baby_?!" Jemma squealed, before Fitz quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Not so loud!" Fitz hushed, before releasing the bio-chemist.

"Sorry." Jemma apologized, quietly. "What are we waiting for?! Where are they?! Are they okay?!" Jemma finally silenced herself as she realized she was rambling.

"I can take you to them." Logan replied, quietly. "Long as one of you can get us outta here." He added, uncertainly. "The security system's gotta be back up, by now."

"They are." May affirmed. "But, I know a back way out." She elaborated, taking the lead as the others followed her.

* * *

_Your little hand's wrapped around my finger | And, it's so quiet in the world, tonight | Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming | So, I tuck you in and turn on your favorite night light | To you, everything's funny, you got nothin' to regret | I'd give all I have, honey | If you could stay like that_

_Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up | Don't you ever grow up | Just stay this little | Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up | Don't you ever grow up | It could stay this simple | I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart | And, no one will desert you | Just try to never grow up, never grow up_

* * *

Phil and Skye glanced around the room at all the people that had gathered together for their big Gender Reveal party. "Wow … I can't believe how many people showed up." Skye mused. "It looks like Charles invited the whole school … students, faculty – everybody!" She added, absently rubbing a hand over her well-rounded belly.

"Just goes to show how much they all love you." Phil smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders – squeezing her, gently, placing a feather-light kiss to her temple.

"Where's Logan?" She wondered, scanning the room for her friend and mentor.

"Right here." Logan grinned, raising his arms to gesture to Skye's friends on either side of him.

Whirling around to face the source of the reply, Skye froze to the spot when she saw Fitz, May and Jemma with him. "Oh my God!" She squeeled, breathlessly – frantically waving her arms for her friends to come to her – to which, they eagerly complied. "What are you doing here?!" Her squeal was muffled by the group hug she'd found herself in the middle of.

"Logan brought us all together and brought us here." Fitz replied, excitedly. "We couldn't believe the news!" He added, taking Skye's hands in his as he stepped back to admire her large belly. "Good Lord … You've gotten so big!"

"Gee, thanks, Fitz!" Skye replied, freeing one of her hands to playfully smack Fitz on the arm. "I'm not fat, ya know! I'm _pregnant_!"

"You look beautiful, as always." Melinda May assured the young mother-to-be. "You're positively _glowing_." She smiled.

"Is that an … _actual smile_?" Skye replied, playfully.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it!" May replied, playfully.

After the party had gotten underway, Phil and Skye stepped up to the top of a grand staircase – gaining the attention of all their guests. "First of all…" Skye spoke, greeting all of her friends that had gathered together at their party. "…I'd just like to thank you all for being here, today. I can't tell you how much your support means to Phil and I." She smiled, as a question-mark-shaped piñata – brightly decorated with the pastel yellows and greens. "And, now, the moment you've all been waiting for…" She added, as she stretched her hand out toward the piñata. The mutants and humans all around her watched and waited on bated breath to see what color confetti would burst out of the cocoon that was the piñata. As they all watched, anxiously, the piñata slowly began to shake and vibrate. Slowly, the vibrations grew larger and more violent until the piñata finally gave way – bursting open like a bomb as pink confetti rained down on the party-goers.

A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd. "It's a girl!" Skye heard several people shout. Turning to Phil, she gave her older lover a sly wink as he slinked away – completely unnoticed by the party guests all clapping and cheering over the results of the reveal. Slipping into position in shadows, Phil slipped a pistol – pre-loaded with blank rounds – as he waited for the second piñata – of the same shape and color-scheme – lower down from the ceiling. Once the piñata had lowered down into position, Phil thought to himself, as he aimed his weapon _I can't believe nobody suspects a thing!_ Carefully taking his aim, he grinned as he fired a single shot – hitting his mark – the dead center of the piñata. He had to admit, he enjoyed the shocked screams quite thoroughly as he watched everyone whirled around toward the sound of the shot while blue confetti rained down upon them, just as the pink confetti had done, moments ago.

"I don't understand?" Rogue was the first to speak up as Phil and Skye joined the crowd down below. "I thought it was a girl … But … then a second piñata blew up and revealed _blue _confetti…" She continued, attempting to process the meaning of the events that had just transpired.

"It's pretty obvious, don't ya think?" Hank spoke up, in response. "Phil and Skye have been so intent on keeping the gender results under wraps … because they wanted to surprise with the fact that they're having _TWINS_!" He elaborated, excitedly.

"Congratulations, you two." Melinda May added, joining the small group. "This is incredible news!"

"Incredible." Skye agreed. "But, also terrifying." She confessed, quietly. "I never even expected _one _child and now, I'm going from being a single woman to a mother of _two_ all in one foul swoop. "It's just a lot to process."

"It's definitely over-whelming." Jemma agreed. "But, remember … You're surrounded by people who love you and support you, unconditionally." She offered, hoping to bring whatever measure of comfort she could to her friend. "Always remember that. You're not alone in this."

"Of course." Fitz added. "We'll all do whatever we can to support you and Director Coulson." He added.

"Thanks, you guys." Skye smiled, leaning into Phil's side, slightly. After a few more moments, she added. "All right! Enough with the heavy!" She declared. "It's time we started enjoying our own party." She finished, smiling at Phil.

"I couldn't agree more." Phil agreed, smiling, as he and Skye joined the rest of their friends and mingled through the crowd.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**As always, I hope you've enjoyed this little offering. As I stated in a previous story, my husband and I are preparing to go out of town, tomorrow night. And, I will be starting a new job the day after we get back. So, I can't promise when the next update will be posted. I do, however, promise to get it posted just as soon as I possibly can. In the meantime, please, don't forget to leave me a review!

~Skye Coulson


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